A committee constituted by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority met on Friday and gave an “in-principle approval” for the use of petrol-powered rescue boats in Rabindra Sarobar, seen as a formal nod for resumption of rowing at its only venue in the state.
The minutes of the meeting will be circulated among the three rowing clubs by the lake next week, said a KMDA official.
The approval is linked to certain conditions.
Some of the conditions linked to the formal approval of rowing are
- An emergency light system to stop rowing at a short notice in case of bad weather or other exigencies
- Periodic maintenance of the engine of the petrol rescue boat
- Regular inspection to check if the SOPs are being followed
Rowing had been suspended in the Sarobar since May 21, when two teenage rowers drowned in the lake during a ferocious Nor’wester that capsized several boats.
A KMDA official on Friday said: “We have come to a consensus for in-principle approval. The clubs have to agree to certain conditions. The KMDA, police and the clubs have to sign a binding note that lists all the conditions. We will send a formal communication to the clubs by Wednesday.”
At the meeting, the committee chaired by Kalyan Rudra, who heads the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, found within “permissible limits” the samples collected during a trial of a petrol rescue boat in the lake on October 21.
On that day, a team of experts had tested water samples and other environmental parameters before and after a petrol boat sailed on the lake.
“The test results are satisfactory,” said the official of the KMDA, the custodian of the lake. Kolkata police had earlier come up with a set of SOPs after multiple meetings with the clubs’ representatives.
But one thorn — use of petrol-powered rescue boats — had stalled the resumption of rowing. The clubs contended that battery-powered boats are not fast enough to respond to a crisis.
The KMDA had sought permission from the NGT for the use of petrol boats.
On September 5, the issue came up before a bench of the NGT.
The bench said they had never restrained the agency from allowing petrol-powered boats in the lake. The bench also asked the KMDA to convene a meeting of the expert panel to decide on the issue.
The NGT observations set the ball rolling for the resumption of rowing in the Sarobar.
On May 21, more than one boat with rowers took to the waters after the test was done.
KMDA officials said they did not object because a rescue boat was in place.
Since then, a handful of boats have been taking to the waters almost every day. But full-fledged rowing is likely to resume after the formal permission from the KMDA.
“We have been verbally informed by the KMDA about the approval,” said Subhasish Dasgupta, the president of the state rowing association and a representative of Lake Club.